


Rooftop Memories

by Xeiana



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: F/M, First Meetings, Homesickness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-26
Updated: 2019-03-26
Packaged: 2019-12-18 12:46:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,145
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18250133
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Xeiana/pseuds/Xeiana
Summary: Eating Galahdian kebabs on top of an old apartment building brings back a particularly important memory to Nyx. After all, it was the first time he and Crowe actually had a meaningful conversation.





	Rooftop Memories

**Author's Note:**

> I meant to put this up ages ago. I first wrote this for a contest but it never was put up, so I figured I should at least show it to the world. Mind you this went through several revisions. It's a favorite rare-pair of mine and I wish they got more love. Enjoy!

“Do you remember?” The words hung in the air, coated with an underlying challenge in their midst. Honestly it was such a vague question, albeit simple. The answer could have meant absolutely anything, from what the second sequence of their training regimen was yesterday to even what day of the week Crowe’s birthday had fallen on that particular year. Sometimes it could be a wistful question of what the stars had looked like back home.

Honestly the last one he had expected it to be, after all, it had been a while since they last saw the starry sky, the true star-speckled expanse above them hidden by the light pollution and the shimmering Wall. It made for difficult star-gazing unless one was in the green outskirts of the city to the north. So he took a shot in the dark and nibbled on the Galahdian meat skewer he was holding.

“The sky?” Nyx watched as Crowe’s eyebrows raised, the woman slowly finishing her bite of her own kebab. It always made him squirm when she leveled that familiar stormy stare in his direction. It always won the staring contests between their fellow Glaives. They learned pretty quickly that she was not one to be ignored or trifled with.

“The sky. Haha, no… Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten why we eat in the same spot with the same food every year.” Crowe’s foot playfully kicked his thigh as he leaned back with a sudden peal of laughter. Oh, OH! Well six above, he should have known that, especially seeing the amusement that lingered in Crowe’s face.

“Yeah, I remember. I especially remember when you tried to throw a rusted can of soup at me when I disturbed you.” Nyx grinned as a snort from Crowe echoed on the rooftop. She didn’t deny it thought because it had been true, though she didn’t exactly try, she actually had thrown one. She had been very solitary back then, she hadn’t wanted to mix with anyone out of fear of being treated like back at the village -  useless and looked down upon.

Nyx broke the silence.

“Heh, Libertus used to tell me how he never got over how your eyes looked when you came to us. You didn’t let anyone near, but the King showed no fear when he walked up to you to test your magic potential. You outshone nearly everyone on the spot.” Crowe rolled her eyes.

“You’re exaggerating that.” Nyx rose an eyebrow and stared at her knowingly.

“I’m not.” Crowe went silent at that, moving the last skewer around her plate. It brought back bad memories. She closed her eyes, bowing her head.

“You two were one of the few who actually cared to look at me. My village only saw a weak orphan who stole scraps of food to survive. The other refugees saw me the same way, weak because I’m a girl. But you two…” Crowe trailed off. Nyx knew it was true. He saw someone who had seen the horrors of this war, who had lost everything long before others. He had a mother and sister and had lost both of them at once. But Crowe? She had nothing except the scraps of clothes on her back when she came to them.

“We didn’t care about that. We were all here to make a new start. You were too.” Nyx could easily recall the memory of when he first really talked with Crowe.

_“Well, these are better than nothing I suppose.” It was getting late, so late he should think about retiring to their small apartments meant for the newfound Kingsglaives, yet he found himself rather restless. His body was aching with their magic training earlier that afternoon yet the thought of lying down in the bed was not an option. So he decided to grab a late night snack. He was surprised to have seen a small stall selling Galahdian kebabs. It was a trip down memory lane. Sure it wasn’t too similar but it really was the thought that counted. He held off on trying to eat them quickly, wanting to find a tall building where he could relax and try to count the stars that could be seen through the massive wall above._

_He hadn’t expected for the abandoned building’s rooftop to be occupied._

_“Oh, sorry.” Nyx said quickly, beginning to close the door. A loud clang rang out, flinching back slightly as a can rolled away from where it hit the door. He stared at it until it came to a stop a few feet away. He peered back out, locking eyes with the young new recruit. What was her name? It was the name of a bird, right? Raven? No, no it wasn’t that, it was similar._

_“Um… Crowe right?” he asked cautiously; honestly he wasn’t even sure that was her actual name. The girl wasn’t too friendly with those around her, but she just recently showed up a few months ago almost half dead and starving near the gate. It was understandable. He knew how the war changes people, how being an orphan made you believe you had no one in the world who really knew you. And her being female just made the disdain worse. How could a girl be of help in fighting, the others used to say. He… didn’t believe them. He had come across her in the Glaive courtyard situated outside the Citadel walls late one night. She was practicing with a single dagger and a few times was able to coat it in fire, something many Glaives couldn’t even pull off yet. It was inspiring honestly._

_Not that anyone ever cared to say to her. All eyes were simply filled with exhaustion or jealousy._

_And here she was with tears in her eyes and something clenched in her hands. She looked absolutely furious that someone had seen her crying. His heart ached for her. He knew that look. No one liked to cry in front of others._

_“You know, it’s alright to cry. Doesn’t make you any less of a person.” Nyx said quietly, not moving from inside of the doorway. He knew how it felt to want to scream at the sky and cry until he had no more tears. It hurt, seeing as one had to make sure they’re all alone until they can do so. It was always said that to cry was to show weakness._

_“Shut it.” She whispered, looking away and clenching her hand harder. Nyx knew that whatever it was in her hand was the cause of her grief. He wanted to know but prying when he didn’t know her would make things worse. He respected people enough to not push._

_“… Are you all right?” It was a stupid question, of course the answer meant no, but it was a nice gesture of being concerned for the other. He took a step towards her, holding up a hand when her eyes narrowed. The other scoffed at him, turning her back when it was obvious that he wouldn’t leave. Crowe hated others thinking that just because she was a girl, that she always needed help. Couldn’t she just be left alone?_

_“Trying to be a hero or something? I don’t need one, so get lost.” Nyx let a small chuckle fall from his lips. He quickly tried to calm her down when she glared at him._

_“Actually… Yes, I want to be a hero, but not like most people think.” Silence again descended upon them and Crowe cautiously glanced over at him. A hero but not like a normal one? He took a few more steps towards her but his eyes were focused on the sky above, spotting a few pinpricks of light, stars that could be seen._

_“You see… I want to protect people, even when not on the battlefield… I lost my mother and then my sister in the attack on my village, Galahd. Their screams haunt my dreams every night. But if I can give another a chance to be able to have a future they deserve, it would be worth it.” His words stirred something inside of Crowe. She hesitated a few minutes before she opened her hand and revealed a tiny dirty locket in the shape of a bird in flight. So he too knew the heartbreak of losing someone important._

_Just as quick as it was shone, it was hidden away again. Crowe went to the edge of the building and looked down across the lower city district, seemingly ignoring Nyx for a good few minutes. She rolled her thoughts around in her mind. She didn’t need to spill her life story to another simply because he was trying to help. Everyone had their own reasons to offer a shoulder there was always a price to pay. She wasn’t about to walk into that trap again._

_Yet this guy. Her eyes drifted back over to him, half hidden under messy bangs. He spilt his story as if it was nothing to hide, a tell-tale sign of someone who seemed as if he cared about others. She bit down on her lower lip, chewing it as she processed this. He didn’t interrupt her thoughts and for that she was grateful. Her head bowed down, the metal of the locket biting into her hand, a grounding feeling that rooted her in the here and now._

_“It was my mother’s… I lost both of my parents before the war really hit us. The Empire had disrupted trades across the outskirts of Lucis, and it got the wild beasts riled up. They both were hunters and they died due to those monsters roaming closer to the village for food from what I heard.” Nyx frowned. That was terrible. Even if the Empire directly didn’t kill them, they still were part of the problem._

_“I’m sorry.” Nyx said quietly, looking down at the hand that now hide the locket from view again. It had been pretty. Crowe shook her head._

_“Today was their anniversary. Even if I barely remember them, it hurts that they are gone, that I can’t be there with them celebrating.” She whispered to him, refusing to let any more tears from falling. Nyx sat down on the far end of the broken table. She instinctively flinched away, not used to anyone being that close to her._

_“Sorry, didn’t mean to startle you.” Nyx apologized before holding up one of his skewers to her._

_“It’s not perfect but it slightly tastes like what I had back home. Even if you don’t remember them well, it’s better to celebrate what you remember than forever mourn them right?” Those words tasted foul in his mouth. He was a hypocrite. He still had nightmares even if he tried to dream of happy memories. But it was hard to forget that, and even if she didn’t live by those words, having someone with you during difficult times helped right? Crowe took the offered skewer slowly, looking down at it as if it would vanish before her eyes._

_“You’re a strange one Ulric…” she muttered, earning a grin from Nyx. One day, maybe the overwhelming heartbreak will fade and let happiness and joy take over. She could fight for that._

Crowe chuckled.

“Everyone thought you were being arrogant by saying you wanted to be a hero. They thought it was all for glory and to rub it in their faces. Many of them fight for their homes, whether they are destroyed or not. They want to go back to how it used to be before they were forced out… But you…” She turned to look at him for a good long while.

“You fight for those who can’t. And for those who need help, no matter who they are. Even if you can go home, you’d still find a way to fight for the future and wouldn’t return until you made sure everyone else had their home restored.” Nyx shrugged his shoulders.

“People ended up freely giving me that nickname now. The weak, the strong, it doesn’t matter who I protect, as long as I can help keep them safe. To make sure they can continue to smile and live their life, that’s worth my entire life.” Crowe looked up at the dark skies, smiling as she saw the first star.

“I’m glad you haven’t lost that. With your support I was able to find my own strength, and now I can even kick your butt in training too.” Crowe laughed at his withering look.

“Come on _Hero_ , let’s toast to the future.” Crowe held up her skewer and tapped it against Nyx’s when he raised his. Even if the future still seemed gray, they knew that with each other, they can make sure the sun would continue to shine down on them and their adopted home.


End file.
